• Construction of ECT fast-tracked after significant delays due to corruption
• $ 585 m project set for 2026 completion to enhance Colombo Port’s capacity

Sri Lanka expects to complete at least 50% of the construction work at the East Container Terminal (ECT) in Colombo Port by 2025, with the original completion date set for 2026, Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation Minister Bimal Rathnayake said.

Speaking in Parliament on Friday (6), he said that the government is planning to complete a minimum of 50% work in ECT by the end of the year after continuous delays.

He said the construction work at ECT was supposed to begin in 2023, but due to corruption and political interference, the construction work was delayed.

“Even if we commence work at ECT now, it will be at least 2027 when it is completed,” he added.

In March, the government designated ECT as a special project, following approval from the Cabinet of Ministers in March 2024, and ECT is to be developed in phases under the complete ownership of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA).

A total of $ 585 million has been allocated for the terminal’s development, with China Engineering and Access Engineering appointed as construction contractors.

Additionally, various tax incentives granted to private terminal operators and service providers under the Strategic Development Act and the Board of Investment Law will be extended to ECT.

Once completed, the terminal will feature a 1,400-metre-long jetty, enabling the simultaneous berthing of three large vessels.

ECT will be equipped with 12 gantry cranes and 40 transfer cranes, spanning a container yard of approximately 75 hectares. The terminal is designed to handle up to three million containers annually and will operate as a semi-automated facility incorporating digital technology.

Further, Rathnayake said that SLPA has completed the feasibility study of the North Port, and it will take another two years to complete the technical feasibility, which will begin in 2025.